# 足下
## Chinese
### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): zúxià
    (Zhuyin): ㄗㄨˊ ㄒㄧㄚˋ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): zuk$^1$ haa$^6$
* Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): chiok-hā
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: zúxià
*** Zhuyin: ㄗㄨˊ ㄒㄧㄚˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: zúsià
*** Wade–Giles: tsu$^2$-hsia$^4$
*** Yale: dzú-syà
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzwushiah
*** Palladius: цзуся (czusja)
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡su³⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: zuk$^1$ haa$^6$
*** Yale: jūk hah
*** Cantonese Pinyin: dzuk$^7$ haa$^6$
*** Guangdong Romanization: zug$^1$ ha$^6$
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡sʊk̚⁵ haː²²/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chiok-hā
*** Tâi-lô: tsiok-hā
*** Phofsit Daibuun: ciokha
*** IPA (Xiamen): /t͡siɔk̚³²⁻⁴ ha²²/
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡siɔk̚⁵⁻²⁴ ha⁴¹/
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡siɔk̚³²⁻⁵ ha²²/
*** IPA (Taipei): /t͡siɔk̚³²⁻⁴ ha³³/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡siɔk̚³²⁻⁴ ha³³/
* Middle Chinese: tsjowk haeX
Rime :
| Character | 足 | 下 |
| Reading # | 2/2 | 1/2 |
| Initial (聲) | 精 (13) | 匣 (33) |
| Final (韻) | 燭 (8) | 麻 (98) |
| Tone (調) | Checked (Ø) | Rising (X) |
| Openness (開合) | Open | Open |
| Division (等) | III | II |
| Fanqie | 即玉切 | 胡雅切 |
| Baxter | tsjowk | haeX |
| Reconstructions |||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /t͡sɨok̚/ | /ɦˠa$^X$/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /t͡siok̚/ | /ɦᵚa$^X$/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /t͡siok̚/ | /ɣa$^X$/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /t͡suawk̚/ | /ɦaɨ$^X$/ |
| Li Rong | /t͡siok̚/ | /ɣa$^X$/ |
| Wang Li | /t͡sĭwok̚/ | /ɣa$^X$/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /t͡si̯wok̚/ | /ɣa$^X$/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | zu | xià |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | zuk$^1$ | haa$^6$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*[ts]ok ɡˤraʔ/
    (Zhengzhang): /*ʔsoɡ ɡraːʔ/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 足 | 下 |
| Reading # | 3/3 | 1/2 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | zú | xià |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ tsjowk › | ‹ hæ$^X$ › |
| Old Chinese | /*[ts]ok/ | /*ɡˁraʔ/ |
| English | foot | down |
| Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary. |||
Zhengzhang system (2003) :
| Character | 足 | 下 |
| Reading # | 2/2 | 1/2 |
| No. | 17925 | 13445 |
| Phonetic component | 足 | 下 |
| Rime group | 屋 | 魚 |
| Rime subdivision | 0 | 0 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 足 | 下 |
| Old Chinese | /*ʔsoɡ/ | /*ɡraːʔ/ |

### Noun

足下
* (literal) underfoot

#### Synonyms

* 腳下／脚下 (jiǎoxià)

### Pronoun

足下
* (literary, polite) you

#### Usage notes

Used in instances where a subordinate is addressing a senior or when someone addresses a person of the same rank. Used mostly in letters.

## Japanese
### Etymology 1

Kanji in this term :
| 足 | 下 |
| あし Grade: 1 | もと Grade: 1 |
| kun'yomi ||
* Alternative spellings
* 足元 足許
Compound of 足 (ashi, “foot, feet”) +‎ 元 (moto, “base; foundation; origin”). Note that the moto portion can be spelled variously as 元, 下, or 許.

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) あしもと [àshímóꜜtò] (Nakadaka – [3])
* IPA: [a̠ɕimo̞to̞]

#### Noun

足(あし)下(もと) • (ashimoto)
* at one's feet, underfoot, the ground
    地(じ)震(しん)で足(あし)下(もと)が揺(ゆ)れた。
       Jishin de ashimoto ga yureta.
       The ground underfoot shook from the earthquake.
** 1999 September 23, “泥(どろ)に潜(ひそ)み棲(す)むもの [The Thing That Hides in Mud]”, in Vol.5, Konami:
    足(あし)下(もと)がドロドロと溶(と)けだしたら、こいつが現(あらわ)れる前(ぜん)兆(ちょう)だ。
       Ashimoto ga dorodoro to tokedashitara, koitsu ga arawareru zenchō da.
       When the ground starts dissolving into mud, it means that that thing is emerging as we speak.
* the bottom of the foot
* a foothold, one's footing
    この事(じ)業(ぎょう)では、足下(あしもと)を固(かた)めてから、やっと発(はつ)動(どう)できるようになります。
       Kono jigyō de wa, ashimoto o katamete kara, yatto hatsudō dekiru yō ni narimasu.
       We will finally be able to get moving once we have established a firm footing on this project.
* gait, pace, step
    足(あし)元(もと)注(ちゅう)意(い)
       Ashimoto chūi
       Watch your step (on signs)
* someone's surroundings, the nearby
* recent events
    足(あし)下(もと)の業(ぎょう)績(せき)は好(こう)調(ちょう)に推(すい)移(い)している。
       Ashimoto no gyōseki wa kōchō ni suii shite iru.
       Recent earnings have been trending favourably.
* a post in the structure of a house: a vertical support running from the foundation to the roof joist
* (theater) hakama, trousers, leg coverings in general
* (theater) footlights in the backstage area to illuminate walkways
* during the rice harvest, any grain that falls at one's feet
* a fin, as of a fish, a seal, or similar marine animal

##### Synonyms

* (the ground): 地(じ)面(めん) (jimen)
* (where one stands): 立(たち)場(ば) (tachiba)
* (foothold, footing): 足(あし)場(ば) (ashiba)
* (gait, how one walks): 歩(ある)き方(かた) (arukikata)
* (step, how one places their feet): 足(あし)付(つ)き (ashitsuki)
* (recent events): 最(さい)近(きん) (saikin) (more immediate), 近(ちか)頃(ごろ) (chikagoro) (less formal)
* (structural post): 柱(はしら) (hashira), 通(とお)し柱(ばしら) (tōshibashira)
* (leg coverings in general): 履(はき)物(もの) (hakimono)
* (fin): 鰭(ひれ) (hire)

### Etymology 2

Kanji in this term :
| 足 | 下 |
| あ Grade: 1 | もと Grade: 1 |
| kun'yomi ||
* Alternative spelling
* 足元
Compound of 足 (a, “foot, feet”, older combining form of modern ashi) +‎ 元 (moto, “base; foundation; origin”).

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [a̠mo̞to̞]

#### Noun

足(あ)下(もと) • (amoto)
* (archaic) at one's feet, underfoot
* (archaic) one's family and status, where one stands in the world

##### Idioms

* 足(あ)下(もと)正(ただ)し (amoto tadashi, “to be of proper breeding, to have a solid pedigree”)
* 千(せん)里(り)の行(こう)も足(そっ)下(か)に始(はじ)まる (senri no kō mo sokka ni hajimaru, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”)

##### Synonyms

* (family status): 家(いえ)柄(がら) (iegara)
* (personal status, identity): 身(み)分(ぶん) (mibun)

### Etymology 3

Kanji in this term :
| 足 | 下 |
| そく > そっ Grade: 1 | か Grade: 1 |
| on'yomi ||
From Middle Chinese 足下 (tsjowk hæ$^X$, literally “foot + down, beneath”). Compare modern Cantonese reading zuk$^1$ haa$^6$.

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) そっか [sóꜜkkà] (Atamadaka – [1])
* IPA: [so̞k̚ka̠]

#### Noun

足(そっ)下(か) • (sokka)
* at one's feet, underfoot
* an epithet used in written correspondence to show respect to the addressee
* a pair of high clogs, worn in rainy weather

##### Synonyms

* (rain clogs): 足(あし)駄(だ) (ashida)

#### Pronoun

足(そっ)下(か) • (sokka)
* (formal, archaic) second-person pronoun: you
    Used to refer to someone of similar or lower status than the speaker. From the sense of being nearby in status.

### References

* 1 2 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
* 1 2 3 4 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN